Both Democratic and Republican candidates in the race have called on Carlos Beruff to apologize for the remark.

After calling President Barack Obama “an animal” who has been trying to turn America into “just another country,” a Republican U.S. Senate candidate is refusing to apologize, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Both Democratic and Republican candidates in the Senate race have called on candidate Carlos Beruff, a Florida homebuilder, to apologize for the comment, writes the news outlet:

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, was first to take issue with the language.

“Mr. Beruff’s statement is not only offensive, but extremely disrespectful to President Obama’s incredible service to our nation,” Murphy said in a statement first published by the Huffington Post. “I’m proud to stand by President Obama and his commitment to fighting for Florida families, and I call on Mr. Beruff to immediately apologize for his disrespectful comments. In the U.S. Senate, our diverse state deserves better than Mr. Beruff’s clear record of bigotry.”

Beruff’s spokesman Chris Hartline chided Murphy for the statement.

Beruff is in a crowded primary field, and the winner of the Aug. 30 primary is likely to face either Murphy or U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, notes the report.